Knife attack at school leaves eight dead and 17 injured after student who failed his exam goes on rampage
- This story is developing, more to come
Eight people were killed and 17 others injured in a stabbing attack at a vocational school in the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi on Saturday, local police said.
The attack took place at the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in Yixing, a smaller city within Wuxi, around 6:30 p.m. local time, Yixing police said in a statement.
The suspect, a 21-year-old male student named Xu, was arrested at the scene.
Police said Wu failed his exams and could not graduate, and that he was dissatisfied with his salary during an internship. He decided to vent his frustrations through the attack, the statement said.
Videos circulating on Western social media platforms such as X show injured people lying in the streets after the attack, while others rush to help.
On Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, keyword searches for the attack return the police statement but no videos or images related to the attack.
The Chinese government often censors internet content if it is deemed too sensitive or political.
Most Western social media sites and search engines like Google are blocked behind what is commonly known as the Great Firewall, which regulates what is accessible within China.
Security guards gather in front of the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in Yixing, the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi, Sunday, November 17, 2024
Police vehicles separate in front of the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in Yixing, eastern China’s Wuxi city, Sunday, November 17, 2024
A man lays a bouquet of flowers at the entrance of the Wuxi Vocational College of Arts and Technology after a knife attack in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China, November 17, 2024.
Floral tributes are placed at an entrance of the Wuxi Vocational College of Arts and Technology after a knife attack, in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China, November 17, 2024
While attacks on the public are rare, this is the second fatal attack in a week after a man drove his car into people at a sports facility in the southern city of Zhuhai, killing 35 people and injuring 43 others.
China has seen a number of attacks where suspects appear to randomly target members of the public.
In October, a man was arrested after allegedly attacking children with a knife at a school in Beijing. Five people were injured.
In September, three people were killed in a knife attack at a Shanghai supermarket and 15 others were injured. Police said at the time that the suspect had personal financial disputes and had come to Shanghai to “vent his anger.”
The same month, a Japanese schoolboy died after being stabbed on his way to school in the southern city of Shenzhen.
More to follow.
